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Thursday, Sep 06, 2018 05:33 PM

Week 1 opponent: What the Jets are saying

Tim Twentyman

Senior Writer

Every week during the regular season we get an opportunity to talk with the opposing head coach via conference call. This week it was New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles. I also scanned the New York media websites, and the Jets website, to see what else the Jets players and coaches are saying about this week's matchup with the Lions.

1. Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne said the most dangerous part about playing the Lions from a pass defense perspective is when Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford leaves the pocket and the Lions receivers convert their routes from short to deep or deep to short. Claiborne thinks Stafford is one of the best in the business at fitting passes into windows and making plays out of the pocket. That will force Jets defenders to have to cover receivers longer.

2. Jets head coach Todd Bowles said the things you can always expect a Matt Patricia defense to be are smart and tough, with execution and fundamentals always big keys.

3. While the Lions have said this week that studying Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold will be hard because there's not a lot of film on him, Darnold said the same thing this week about the Lions' new defense.

"We have an idea what this defense is," Darnold told newyorkjets.com. "But at the same time they don't have a ton of film."

Darnold was looking forward to trying to find ways to attack the Lions' defense by looking back at the Lions preseason film and some Patriots film from past seasons.

4. Bowles called Detroit's revamped backfield a "four-headed monster." LeGarrette Blount, Kerryon Johnson, Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah provide the Lions with power, speed, and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield at a high level, according to Bowles.

5. Bowles holds Stafford in high regard, calling him one of the best in the business. While there may be question marks with what the Lions' defense will look like, Bowles said he's fully aware of the fact that Stafford and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter can score points.

6. "It's the first game, you have to expect the unexpected."

That was what Bowles said earlier in the week, and there might not be a better way to describe Week 1 of the regular season. Typically, coaches say about 35 percent of the plays run in Week 1 were never scouted. The winning teams the first week of the regular season are usually those who adjust the best.

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